Workflow and Process Design Flashcards

A healthcare organization is redesigning its prior authorization workflow. After mapping the current state, the team finds 22 steps, of which only 5 add value. What metric describes this finding?

Answer: Process cycle efficiency

Process cycle efficiency (value-added time ÷ total lead time) measures the proportion of process steps or time that is truly value-adding, exposing waste.

In designing a new patient intake process, the team calculates 'takt time.' What does takt time represent?

Answer: The time available to complete one unit of work to meet customer demand

Takt time = available production time ÷ customer demand rate; it sets the pace at which the process must operate to satisfy demand without overproducing.

A hospital implements a 'bedside report' process where nurses hand off shift information at the patient's bedside rather than at the nursing station. This redesign PRIMARILY reduces which waste?

Answer: Transportation and excess information handling

Bedside reporting eliminates redundant travel to the nursing station and reduces information loss during handoffs, addressing transportation and motion waste.

Which of the following BEST describes a 'future state' value stream map?

Answer: A redesigned workflow showing improvements after waste elimination

The future state map depicts the redesigned process after agreed-upon improvements are implemented, serving as the actionable target for the improvement team.

A CHL is applying process design principles to reduce duplicate data entry in the EHR. Eliminating this duplication addresses which category of Lean waste?

Answer: Overprocessing

Entering the same data more than once constitutes overprocessing — doing more work than the output requires — and is a direct form of Lean waste.

When a process redesign team uses 'mistake proofing' to prevent wrong-site surgery, the MOST effective level of error prevention is:

Answer: Designing a physical mechanism that makes the wrong action impossible

The highest level of poka-yoke eliminates the possibility of error through design (e.g., a marking protocol + time-out that must physically occur), rather than relying on warnings.

A healthcare leader is evaluating two redesigned workflows using a decision matrix. The matrix assigns weighted scores to criteria such as patient safety, cost, and staff acceptance. This tool is MOST useful for:

Answer: Prioritizing and selecting among competing solutions objectively

A weighted decision matrix quantifies trade-offs between options by scoring each against criteria and multiplying by importance weights, enabling objective selection.